The Redhawks
= The Redhawks = The Redhawks were founded by Capsicum Hollyfoot, Mistral Soulthorn, Rolan Hawthorne, and Styl Neinarte after saving the life of a young boy outside of the town of Halfwater. Though only Rolan remains of the original members, many adventurers have joined the group and brought fame to the name. = Act One: The Plague = The Rat King of Port Perth Just outside the port city aptly named Port Perth, Marco Calrythien hired a group of hopeful adventurers to guard his caravan on the road to Aurion: Marro Malbec, a human eldritch knight and former chef; Rolan Hawthorne the half elven apprentice evocation wizard; Mistral Stoulthorn, an air genasi storm cleric of Talos; Styl Neinarte, an eladrin elf eldritch knight from the foreign lands of Elysia; and Maxri, the tiefling acolyte sorcerer who was in possession of a mysterious pearl. A large sect of clerics with high hopes to aid in finding a cure for the plague also accompanied the band to Aurion. Before heading out, the party heard rumors in Port Perth that there is a large rat problem happening within the governor's manor and he would pay great dividends to anyone who is willing to exterminate them. As the saying went there were "millions of rats". The party went over to the manor and the governor told them about the situation. Rats infested everywhere and they appeared to be coming from the basement. The party blasted their way through, nearly catching the entire place on fire multiple times, but finally reaching into the dark, dank basement. It is here where they found a single humanoid creature, proclaiming to be The Rat King, a wererat who was the commanding the rats to cause a havoc to the governor and his family. After quickly dealing with him and nearly at the cost of their own lives, the party found that The Rat King was in fact the governor's son, Babooshka, who was supposed to be studying at the university in River Branch. Instead, he hid underneath the house this whole time, driven mad by his life as a noble. He sought revenge by acting against the wishes of his family. The party found a mysterious amulet around his person that transformed him into the creature they had fought and, after some careful investigation, they found that he was given this magic item from a mysterious woman with red hair three months prior. After asking around, they found an old man who preferred to not give out his name. He stated that he overheard the conversation between the mysterious red haired woman and the govenor's son, and that she introduced herself by the name Amber. She was last seen traveling south, but she didn't explain what her destination was. The party, having completed the quest, travelled with the caravan to fulfil their duties as the hired guards. They spent their time looking around and meeting familiar faces within the caravan, choosing to meet up with Marco Calrythien, the caravan leader; his two body guards Grok and Ulgrid Buelerstag; Bryan Goldbeard, the dwarf blacksmith who was traveling with his wife Tara, the dwarf alchemist; a travelling cleric of Cyrus, Sergei Bonsovich; and Vid Tursiigh, a simple tanner. The Redhawks Together the caravan travelled for a few days until they encountered bandits that raided the camp. Most of the traders valuables were stolen, and many clerics were killed during the raid. The party ran off after them, and would soon find them held up in a long forgotten fortress hiding in the depths forest. They delved into the underground halls cutting their way through one bandit after the next, until they finally reached this large room where they heard a fight broke out between their enemies. Two leaders were battling it out for dominance over the entire bandit gang, and had not noticed the adventurers wandering in. As soon as the party revealed themselves to the large room filled with bandits they engaged in a bloody battle to try and kill them all. This did not go according to plan as they lost one of their own Maxri in the battle. Although, while the party was grieving over their dead ally, the pearl in his possession began to telepathically speak to them. Telling them that he can be resurrected in a shrine in the north. The party went through the rest of the dungeon trying to find more loot and found a room filled with statues. After investigating they quickly discovered that this was the nest to a monstrous beast known as the Basilisk. Marro and Rolan were turned to stone, and Styl delivered the finishing blow to the Basilisk. What was left of the party dragged everything back via floating disc and returned to the caravan. They found the cleric Sergei and through the power of his God Cyric, cured Marro and Rolan of their petrification. Following the orders of Maxri's pearl, the adventurers burned Maxri's body. After all this, Marro explained that he was not cut out to be a body guard anymore and wanted to cut ties with the caravan. He left the caravan and would not be seen again until much later. Marco, disappointed in this, called for aid and received word that someone would arrive shortly to take Marro's place among the caravan guard. During the trip further south, a new face appeared to join the caravan guard; Capsicum Hollyfoot, a fire genasi moon druid. The caravan members introduce themselves and continue moving to the next stop, a small town called Halfwater. As they arrive they notice that the place is not as lively as they heard about. The community seems to be mourning over the supposed death of a child that went missing three days ago. The group decided that, in order to bring some sort of comfort to the town, they would try and find the child. They explored the nearby woods and discovered a small cave filled with spider webs. Trailing into the cave was this large drag mark through the dirt that resembled the same size of a child. They began spelunking their way in and fight through many spiders, dubbing it "The Cave With A Million Spiders." After searching around, and fighting these monstrous sized beasts, they discover the cold body of the child wrapped in a cocoon, whom through a miracle, was alive. The party brought him back to Sergei to see if he could restore the boy's health, however through a lot of effort he could only heal so much. The boy would not be able to use his legs. The party was distraught to hear this news, but the boy seem to be lively as ever. He introduced himself as Lil' Arthur and asked if his heroes had a cool name. They didn't and he told them that he would name them after his favorite color and his favorite animal. And thus, The Redhawks were officially founded. The caravan traveled further south and arrived to the next destination, Port Rittle. The party went off to explore as the traders and merchants went at it. From here they bought potions from a washed up wizard, and bought drinks at the local tavern. The patrons there quickly heard the rumors of an up and coming group of heroes that wandered in with the caravan and the party was met with some praise. They asked around for any information regarding the mysterious Amber they've been trailing behind, and found that she was here not that long ago. The last known whereabouts was in the ship graveyard a few miles from the city. They found a member of a noble household to the city of Aurion, the caravan's destination -- Mercuccio Wikkenfir. From here they learned that he was retreating the city for a small amount of time due to a feud his family was in with a clashing, recently established orc household. It was said that the orcs were killing elves in sacred elven hunting grounds near the city, and that these crimes were going unpunished. However, they found a member of the opposing orc household in the vicinity, Gruff Battleborn, and he stated that this was a lie fabricated by the elves to promote discrimination towards orcs which would force governing officials to kick his family out of the city. Confused as to which was the truth, the party would want to investigate this matter once they finally arrived in the city of Aurion. In Pursuit of Amber The party took one last stop shopping for materials in the port before they chased after Amber in the ship graveyard, and found a fishing store with a peculiar shop keep. A bearish man with a clown nose was standing behind the counter, wearing a clown nose. Above him was a sign stating to not mention the word "clown" to which Mistral responded by yelling the word immediately. The whole group that was with him were teleported to a subplane with a strange circus theme, where they fought a clown monster known as Todo the Clown. They defeated the monster, nearly being killed themselves and were soon teleported back to the Prime Material plane, where they discovered that the clown nose that once rested on the face of the shop keep was now fixed to Mistral's face. The nose was enchanted to hop around and teleport any one who could see it to Todo's realm if it heard the word "clown". The party realizing its danger, quickly tried to dispose of it, but soon found that it had disappeared quickly after Mistral exposed his face to the public. With little left to do, they went off to the ship graveyard. The Redhawks traveled a few miles along the coast to where they found the large spires of wood floating in the ocean. Parts once belonging to ships that had crashed into the rocky shores. After some investigation, they discovered a cave that lead to an underground temple, completely stocked full of undead. The party continued there way through, and found a shining man fighting a horde by himself. After assisting him, he introduced himself as Avon Archaeyum, an aasimar paladin of Lliira sent to the temple to eradicate the undead menace that had risen in the name of Orcus, and joined The Redhawks on their quest. With their new ally, The Redhawks continued to delve deeper into the dungeon, where they found a cult had established themselves in a large chamber. In the center was a large gem with a dragon fetus that looked rather ill, surrounding the eggs were these black obelisks that seemed to be pouring some energy into the egg, and above them on the roof of the chamber was just this pool of water that was suspended in air; and next to the egg was a woman with red hair and shining blue eyes, who was discussing something with the head member of the cult until the party barged in. There was no mistake, this was Amber. The party fought and to their surprise found that Amber had escaped through some means of magic. The party then looked at the egg and wondered what they should do. Half of them wanted to leave it alone, while the other half wanted to take the take the gem. They touched the gem and it immediately shattered, exposing the sickly dragon fetus on the inside to the outside. They collected the pieces of emerald and continued on back to the city. The party regrouped with the caravan and made their last haul to the City of Aurion, where they finally go to see the massive city in person. It stretched for miles and had walls the size of mountains surrounding the entire area that glimmered with the sun. A Plague on Aurion The Redhawks passed through security, and were told that the city was the epicenter for the plague. They continued through the walls witnessing the terrible state with their own eyes. Many people walked around spread far apart from one another as to avoid contact, citizens were in mass mourning over the death of their loved ones, and elven clerics with white robes wandered around serving those that were ailed with the plague. Determined to help the people of Aurion, they set off to embark on their own investigation of the plague. The caravan paid them for their services and went off into the city's trading center. The surviving clerics, Sergei among them, went on to fulfill their own duties. The party went to see if they could have access to some information, but they soon found that because of heavy restrictions imposed by the city guard, they would not be able to travel further into the city without a workers pass or invitation from nobility. The Redhawks decided that the best course of action was to get into the thick of it, where the plague has hit the hardest. Here they would find that the city guard would not allow them to enter in unless they were clerics, as they did not want them to spread the disease any further than it already had. They found a guy named James Goheen, who was a roguish type that would help them sneak into the plague district for a price. They agreed and went in, and started investigating the illness. Within the quarantine zone, people were roaming about with blackened veins and pale skin. This disease was an effect of necrotic magic, which could be cured through magical means, but spread faster than the city clerics could cure and people would die within days after becoming infected. After this the party was determined on getting into the middle ring of the city and would message Mercucio Wikkenfir for an invitation. The elf noble would retrieve the party and take him to his manor where they would need to stay in respects to their visitation. The party would first want to see if they could get access to the wealth of information the city had provided, and had heard there was a powerful mage that lived in the Black Tower not too far away. They would go there and find a spiraling tower made of obsidian and black stone, with a large iron door carved into the shape of a dragon. Once the party had knocked on the door they were soon confronted by the iron door that would suddenly come to life. It stated through a soft voice that they were not accepting any challengers for their property today, to which the party stated that they were not going to do that. They asked if the mage was there, and the voice said no but they would be happy to help in any way they can. The door would open and on the other side were three people. Two high elves, Silas and Aliss, who were keeping guard of the Black Tower while their father, Lord Kelran, was away; and Megan Landon, someone with a remarkably similar story to Rolan. They were then told that they were to guard the household from potential nobility who would want to take it from them, as royal law states they can do so. They sadly were not able to help in regards to the plague, but would allow them a place to rest if they so needed it. Here, they were asked to join Mercucio for the evenings dinner with his family. They agreed and would soon sit with some very powerful figures. As the entered they saw Leidon WIkkenfir, the head of the Wikkenfir household and high member of the city council, discussing with his wife, E'daleth Wikkenfir, and daughter, Sky'leth WIkkenfir. Discussing the recent declaration of war that was sent to them by the orc household, the Battleborn. E'daleth seemed to want to resolve the matter peacefully and negotiate with their ultimatum, while Sky'leth proposed that it was their religious rite to eradicate the orcs for there existence, so accepting their proposal of war is the only logical option. Leidon seemed to be quite troubled and would like a better solution than succumbing to the orc's demands of leaving the city and sending his family to a war. The party would intervene and suggest that they would try their best to resolve the situation, and it was suggested to them by Mercucio that the best way to do this is to recover stolen family heirlooms that is widely believed to have been taken by the rivals but was rumored to have actually stolen by a master thief that resided in the sewers of the city. The party had little time, and ventured into the sewers to try and find the master thief known as the Silent Snatcher. The Silent Snatcher The party went into the sewers and found that this place was not designed for people to be down here. Gelatinous cubes would roam the flood chambers cleaning up the grime, but would prove to be quite the hassle for the Red Hawks. They found a mysterious white cat wandering the underground, and would save it from a swarm of stirges. The cat would join them for a while in the sewers until escaping after the party had encountered a large monstrous Red Slaad. A battle that would lead to the disappearance of Capsicum Hollyfoot as she slipped and fell into a vortex of sewage. The party ventured forward, to discover someone training in the sewers; an arena fighter in the city that was a member of the orc noble house, Brawn Battleboar. He would assist the party as they continued fighting through the labyrinth, where they would soon discover an underground organization known as the Black Paw. The two groups looked at each other in a standoff, and through no bloodshed, the Black Paw tricked the party into entering a dangerous room as they made their escape. The party would then re-enter the room to take what the Black Paw left behind, some gold and jewelry. The party would then discover another underground gang of goblins and hobgoblins that were growing illegal drugs known as Tarka Flowers. Their petals were known to invoke illusions and relax the mind once burned. The party killed the goblins and took the flowers for themselves. It wasn't soon after, did the party finally uncover the Silent Snatcher's lair, and through a quick combat encounter, subdued him and took the lost heirlooms back to the surface. They rushed to the battlefield, "The Field of Ash" where nobility would usually clash under the rules of the royal law. They were then open to discuss the possibility of peace, and through failed persuasion rolls, the negotiation was over. War was inevitable. Brawn Battleboar was faced with the choice of joining his uncle in the fight, or remaining neutral throughout it and stand to the sides. Brawn chose the latter, not wanting to witness his family die. The Wikkenfirs would win the day, and the surviving Battleborns would flee to the southern mountains. Styl would stay behind trying to save any orcs that would be still wounded and would be glad to find Gruff Battleborn still alive. He was missing a leg, but he was still breathing. Rolan would fly off to get a heavy drink, which would lead to him drunkenly cast a lightning bolt at the city walls over and over, which prompted guards to approach and try and kill the mad wizard. Luckily, James Goheen was in the area and captured him before the city could, and the both fled into hiding. To the Arena Brawn would take Mistral to the arena, who had fallen unconscious due to a trance that overwhelmed his body. Mistral would awake in a void of dark nothingness with eight floating relics. He would approach a triangle with a swirling vortex and would then be put into a new realm. Mistral traveled a misty forest that belonged to the goddess Leira. She explained to him that the clown nose he wore was a relic that she and many other gods created before they were killed by the chaotic god known as, Ghaunadaur. Through these relics, the gods remain alive, and through those who wield them live, the gods remain present in the world. However, through choosing her to be the one in control of him, his connection with Talos was severed by Cyric in spite. As a gift, Leira would be the one to grant him a magic source as well as grant him a clown nose to represent his devotion to all that is trickery and deception. In this state, Mistral was kidnapped by the Black Paw while Brawn went to find Rolan. Meanwhile, Styl had went into the city to find someone to tend to Gruff's wounds. She would find Sergei again, who would gladly use his powers to assist the fallen orc. However, they were soon discovered by the Black Paw, and through an act of heroism, Sergei used himself as a distraction inorder for Styl to escape with Gruff. Together they wandered the streets, in desperation, as the Black Paw chased after them. They would then be rescued by members of a rivaling gang known as the Blue Hearts, who would lead them to safety back to the Black Tower. = Under construction = The plague In pursuit of The Gift of Selune... After not hearing from The Redhawks for several weeks, the officials of the Aurion University hired the vigilante Swain and ascetic Borin to find the missing heroes. After a few days, the pair were able to track the party down. Unfortunately, Mistral had already perished, but Rolan and Brawn remained. With the help of their newfound allies, The Redhawks were able to secure The Gift of Selune from the grasps of a death tyrant. The Raj? The Black Tower of Aurion. Home to Lord Kelran and his children: Silas, Aliss. Serving the master of the tower for the past few years was Megan Landon. Szarko? Calypso? Even with the help of Lord Kelran to transport them to Port Riddle, The Redhawks were in a race against time. The party marched forward and uncovered a tower by the sea, undoubtedly Calypso's hideout. Upon arriving at the base, an armored man fell into the ocean and unfortunately he was beyond saving before he could explain. After dispatching of the tower's henchmen, the party found Calypso with The Red Lady. Swain attempted to persuade Calypso With the puppet master of the plague stopped, the day was saved, and the city of Aurion reveled in celebration. Act Two: The Burning Just a few short weeks after the plague was stopped, many of the leaders of the criminal syndicates met. They were captured and thrown into Cromwell's Pit: Cronus, the mysterious leader of The Black Paw; Father Comstock, head of the Church of the Open Basket; Lady Clarone, head of the Clarone family. The Raj, however, escaped capture and went into hiding. This victory would be short-lived as at the same time, King Stevenson Agrondei V was assassinated. Sir James Alfonze was quickly named king regent and summoned The Redhawks. Strangely, King Stevenson's heart had been taken from his body and a misplaced yellow thread was left at the crime scene. The party assumed that the missing heart had to some blood magic not unlike the work they had seen with Calypso's dark rituals just a few weeks prior. The Redhawks were tasked with finding the king's heart in hopes to prevent the bidding of whomever was behind an obviously sinister plot. They visited Cromwell's Pit, the prison of Aurion, in order to interrogate a few of the new prisoners. Szarco mentioned that The Raj's gang wear yellow, leading to a possibility that he was somehow connected, but also was in hiding. The cleric also gave up information about The Black Hand, an Egrissian cult of the god of torture and sacrifice: Bane. The party was less successful when speaking to Father Comstock. The leader of The Black Paw, Cronus, was bound and had several lamps pointed on his cell to prevent him from stepping into the shadows. After a few futile attempts to get information from Cronus about the king's death, the party moved on to the cell of Miss Valera Clairone. While meeting with Miss Clairone, Cronus had somehow escaped, leaving a trail of bodies in his path. The party paid Swain's criminal contacts in order to gain audience with The Raj. He shared that Cronus offered to assassinate The Redhawks, some details about Al'kazar, and The Black Hand: The Raj declined Cronus' offer; Al'kazar, the assassin from Egris, was a legendary killer that was thought to be folklore to scare children into behaving, and The Black Hand, the cultists of Bane, were the only ones who knew how to summon Al'kazar. Recently, there had been a resurgence in The Black Hand in The Isles of Nowhere and Egris after The Red Flash. Most notably, The Black Hand was known to use necromancy involving heart sacrifice. After leaving Cromwell's Pit, the party met with Lord Kelran's children. Silas accompanied them to the nearby tavern where they met a tabaxi woman, Velvet. Velvet had previously been the caretaker of Kelran's children back in The Feywilds and as a favor, she warned Silas of an invasion from the south that she would be partaking in. Silas let it slip that the king was dead, which was news to the tabaxi. The party met with the southern army's leader, a drow by the name of N'orc the Eternal Chieftain of the World. As the name suggested, N'orc was thought to be immortal, having fought the tarrasque and living to tell the tale. He also claimed to be the father of Velvet. N'orc told The Redhawks that he did not wish to kill the people of Aurion, but merely to establish himself as the ruler. Through some quick bargaining, the group asked N'orc to wait until the next full moon and to fight the current man in charge, Sir James Alfonze, per royal law as to smooth things over with the citizens. Much to everyone's surprise, N'orc agreed.